Anatomy of a siege
Overlap their land
Run a loop that crosses into a rival’s territory (at least ~50 m of your route inside it). The overlapping ground becomes contested — it highlights on the map and “breathes,” and both houses get a Herald dispatch.
The tug-of-war
Every run you make through the contested ground lowers the defender’s defence by your effort × the distance you covered inside it. Every run they make through it rebuilds defence by the same formula. Crossing one of their border Walls costs you extra (20% resistance, 50% for a Reinforced Wall).
Worked example: you invade a rival Village with a hard 4 km run, 2 km of it inside their ground at 1.5× effort — that’s 3 defence removed. The defender answers the next morning with an easy 3 km recovery jog through the same ground at 1.0× — 3 defence rebuilt. Stalemate. Sieges are won by whoever shows up more, harder.
Defending
You defend the same way you attack: run your contested ground. A few things tip the scales:- A Reinforcement Order (earned item) instantly repairs some defence on a route under attack — save them for emergencies.
- A holding under siege pays no tribute until the siege is broken — an economic reason to respond quickly.
- You can never lose your account or rank — only current territory. Land lost can always be retaken.
Sellswords (hired steel)
Gold can hire mercenaries — bounded help, never a substitute for effort (see the full costs):- A defensive garrison (◉ 500) reinforces one holding for 7 days — and can be hired for a holding already under siege.
- An offensive company (◉ 750) strengthens one invasion march you actually run.
- Both carry upkeep (◉ 50/day), and their strength is always capped below your weakest earned defence — steel bought with gold never outfights steel earned on the road.
Reading the map
- Your own land carries a reserved outline colour so it’s always unmistakably yours.
- A territory’s tier shows as its strength and degrades visually as defence drops — a faded holding is a vulnerable one.
- Contested land is highlighted and “breathes”; the crimson treatment marks live combat.
- Walls render as lines along the routes that built them.
- Ghost territories are unclaimed AI-held land in your city — free to take, no siege required.
- A tarnished pennant over a rival’s holding is the Sellsword’s Mark: they’ve hired steel, and they’re worth more to raid.
The War Council (planning your marches)
Open the War Council to chart a route toward a goal before you lace up, and save it as a named March:- Fortify — plots a loop through your own land that needs reinforcing (it favours your decaying ground).
- Invade — heads toward a rival’s territory so your route contests it.
- March — a straight distance goal, no particular target.